UK Gambling Commission approves financial checks, delays rollout

The U.K. Gambling Commission on July 7 approved Financial Risk Assessments (FRAs) to identify customers showing signs of financial difficulty. The board said the checks should not be called “affordability checks” and that rollout will be staged.

The first phase will apply only to the largest operators and, the regulator estimates, fewer than 0.5% of customers. For people aged 25 and over the initial trigger is net deposits of £5,000 or more within a rolling 24‑hour period; for customers under 25 the 24‑hour trigger is £2,500. At full implementation the thresholds will change to net deposits above £1,000 in 24 hours or £3,000 over 90 days for those 25 and over, and to £750 in 24 hours or £2,000 over 90 days for younger customers. The commission estimates that at full rollout about 3% of accounts would be subject to checks.

The regulator framed FRAs as a way to detect signs of financial stress rather than to calculate personal affordability. Helen Rhodes, director of major policy projects at the commission, told reporters that “FRAs do not take account of affordability.” The assessments will look for indicators such as arrears, credit defaults and debt management plans so operators can offer support measures.

The commission announced it will not take enforcement action against operators that fail to act on flagged FRAs during the early phase. Acting chief executive Sarah Gardner described that approach as “really unusual for the commission, and indeed for regulators,” and said the concession reflects industry concerns about compliance expectations. Operators must still meet other licence conditions and customer interaction rules, and the regulator retains powers to act on breaches of those obligations.

Most assessments will use document‑free checks run by credit reference agencies. The commission noted these checks typically do not affect a consumer’s credit score. A pilot found operators could assess 97% of customers above the thresholds without requesting documents, a higher rate than earlier estimates. The regulator acknowledged that credit reference agencies can produce inconsistent results and that some customers may still need manual document checks.

Industry groups criticised the decision. The Betting and Gaming Council described itself as “deeply disappointed and frustrated” and maintained that inconsistencies in credit reference information remain unresolved. Consumer groups and some gamblers have opposed similar checks; a 2023 petition against affordability checks collected more than 100,000 signatures. During the commission’s briefing, journalists asked whether the measures could drive some customers to unlicensed operators; the regulator said it had confirmed the current government’s continued support for the White Paper policies that introduced the requirement.

The FRA requirement originated in the 2023 Gambling Act review White Paper, which left the regulator to design how risk and affordability assessments would operate in practice. The commission has not set firm implementation dates and said it will publish tentative plans for stage one over the summer. Officials noted that operators and credit reference agencies need time to contract, integrate systems and train staff, and that lessons from the early phase will inform any lowering of thresholds.